Massage For Stress Reduction & Wellness

In our culture, stress has become a daily reminder of our busy lives. Because of our fast-paced, high-technology society, we can get bombarded with stress constantly. So much so that it is often overlooked as a root cause of many health conditions and complaints such as chronic pain, obesity, heart conditions, high blood pressure, infertility, anxiety, depression, gastrointestinal disorders, adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue, lowered immune function, migraines…the list goes on and on. This makes self-care tools like massage crucial for stress reduction and prevention of disease. Getting massage on a regular basis can help to significantly reduce stress levels, and even help us to better manage and adapt to stress as it happens.

One of the terms we use in massage is‘rest and digest’. Our nervous systems are comprised of a sympathetic nervous system and a parasympathetic nervous system. That ‘fight or flight’ feeling you get when you’re stressed? That’s the sympathetic nervous system—it activates to signal our kidneys to start producing adrenalin to kick our bodies into gear, in case it needs to respond to a threat. Our heart rate increases, our blood flow decreases and moves away from the limbs, our digestion slows and we become hyper alert. The parasympathetic nervous system on the other hand, activates when we’re relaxed—that’s the ‘rest and digest’. Our heart rate slows, our blood flow increases, our breathing slows and deepens, we produce hormones that improve our digestion, and we have more of a relaxed, but focused awareness. Massage therapy is very effective in activating our body’s parasympathetic response—and it’s effects are cumulative over time—so we are able to ‘rest and digest’ more, and ‘fight or flight’ less in our daily lives.

Another great benefit of massage is increasing the body’s circulation. In western medicine, if the body’s blood flow is inhibited, then important nutrients and fresh blood are slow to flow in, and waste products are slow to flow out. In Chinese medicine, this is called qi and blood stagnation, which can lead to pain, low energy, irritability, as well as slow the healing of injuries, and can weaken the body’s immune function, making it more susceptible to illness. Massage is one of the best methods of increasing the body’s circulation of qi, blood, and lymph fluids.

Even though massage is considered a ‘body therapy’, it can have immense positive effects on those with emotional and mood disorders. Massage can decrease anxiety levels, decrease depression and increase feelings of happiness and optimism by helping to balance brain chemicals such as serotonin. For people with a history of abuse or trauma, the safe, nurturing touch experienced in a massage session with an experienced, qualified and sensitive therapist can make a huge difference in self-esteem and body image, as well as cultivating more of a sense of trust and safety in your personal environment and in your own body.

A regular Wellness session can be an hour to an hour and a half. I use a Swedish/Myofascial (deep tissue) blend normally, but sessions are always tailored to your needs, so each session may look a little different, depending on each individual. Wellness sessions usually focus on relaxation, stress relief, pain/discomfort, emotional well being, flexibility, digestive health, menstrual health, etc.